Most European football leagues are on recess, but certain championships continent-wide are still active. The Premier League is by far the most important one that has scheduled matches this weekend and one exciting match takes place on Friday evening. Elsewhere, Belgian and Turkish teams are also back in the fray for a spot Champions League berth or even a shot at the trophy.
Wolverhampton Try to Stop Manchester City’s Surge
Wolverhampton has emerged as one of the most difficult teams to defeat when it has home pitch advantage and the theory will be put to the test by Manchester City. The visitors are once again in form and they are winning back-to-back matches in all competitions. Their chances to win the Premier League are slim, as they trail Liverpool by a great distance, but they have a good shot at winning today.
888 Sport offers odds of 1/2 on Manchester City to prevail on the road, where they have a pretty good percentage in 2019. The hosts will likely field a defensive-minded starting formation, with a single striker and five midfielders. Their goal is to salvage a point and the odds of that to happen are 4/1 according to the same bookmaker. Punters willing to back Wolverhampton to win will be paid at 7/1 if they prevail.
Anderlecht Chase First Away Victory at Antwerp
Anderlecht used to dominate the Belgian first division, but the team is now struggling at the middle of the standings. They trail the leaders by 20 points, so their best chance for the season is to secure a Champions League berth by finishing on the podium. On Friday at 7:30 PM UK time, they play on the road against Antwerp and they are credited with the second chance at odds of 3/1. The hosts have the best home record with eight victories and a single draw, which explains the odds of 9/10 offered by bet365 Sports to win.
Elsewhere, Charleroi takes on Oostende in a match that bookmakers expect to be a one-sided affair. Charleroi have won most of the points at home and according to the odds of 11/20, they should improve their record. The visitors are one of the worst traveling teams in the Belgian first division, so it comes as no surprise that 10bet Sportsbook granted the odds of 5/1.
Fading Besiktas Seek Essential Win over Genclerbirligi
The Turkish first division is not exactly the most competitive one this season, but there are still several teams involved in the race for the trophy. Besiktas are seven points behind the leader, but if they play their best football on Friday evening, they should close the gap. That’s because they have home pitch advantage against Genclerbirligi, a team that rarely picks up points on the road. The home side has had plenty of time to rest and will field a competitive starting formation, so the odds of 1/2 are justified